A “Buddhism in Russia” exhibition has opened in Bhutan. This is the first time such an exhibition has been organized in the Himalayan kingdom. Its aim is to promote and strengthen bilateral humanitarian and cultural relations.

On display are 19th and 20th -century photographs depicting Buddhist monasteries in Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tyva and 3d images of Buddhist relics that were presented to the Russian Czar Nicholas II.

Buddhism is the world’s oldest religion. It received official status in Russia in 1741, during the rule of Yelizaveta Petrovna, the daughter of Peter the Great.